GLOBAL PROBLEMS

I. Listen and choose the correct answers

1. What is identified as the number one global issue in the text?
A. Unemployment B. Pollution C. Lack of primary education D. Climate change
2. Which factor is mentioned as a significant contributor to pollution?
A. Noise pollution B. Soil pollution
C. Lack of primary education D. Unemployment
3. According to the text, what is the main obstacle to achieving universal primary school
education for children?
A. Lack of government funding B. Poverty and marginalization
C. Insufficient number of schools D. Educational capacity and resources
4. What is the primary consequence of unemployment mentioned in the text?
A. Economic growth B. Poverty and unfulfilled basic necessities
C. Lack of primary education D. Food security
5. What does the text highlight as the main issue with food security?
A. Lack of food production B. Lack of access to food
C. Overweight population D. Inadequate nutritional education
6. Which health issue is specifically mentioned in the text, in addition to the COVID-19
pandemic?
A. Substance abuse B. Lack of primary education
C. Food security D. Pollution
7. What does the text identify as a contributing factor to mental health problems?
A. Lack of primary education B. Substance abuse
C. Gender inequality D. Water scarcity
8.Which issue is highlighted as the ninth global challenge in the text?
A. Substance abuse and mental health B. Conflicts between nations and peace
C. Need for gender equality D. Water scarcity
9. What is emphasized as a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous, and sustainable
world?
A. Unemployment B. Gender equality
C. Lack of primary education D. Climate change
10. What is mentioned as a critical problem presented by water stress?
A. Global water shortage B. Lack of freshwater
C. Water contamination D. Pollution

Answers:
d) Climate change
a) Noise pollution
b) Poverty and marginalization
b) Poverty and unfulfilled basic necessities
b) Lack of access to food
a) Substance abuse
b) Substance abuse
b) Conflicts between nations and peace
b) Gender equality
b) Lack of freshwater
II. Listen and complete the summary of the recording, USE NO MORE THAN 3 WORDS
for each gap.
The year 2021 presents a crucial moment for global collaboration, as the world faces numerous
challenges, ranging from climate change to (1)___________________and the critical need for
universal primary education. Unemployment, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic,
(2)____________________ a significant threat to livelihoods, while issues of food security
highlight the (3)___________________ between food production and access. The ongoing
health crisis, particularly the global COVID-19 pandemic, emphasizes the importance of
(4)___________________and nutritional education.
Substance abuse and mental health emerge as (5)_____________________ global concerns, with
millions affected by drug addiction. The complex relationship between mental health issues and
(6)____________________is underscored. (7)_____________________between nations
continue to escalate, leading to refugee crises and increased violence, as seen in the conflicts in
Syria, Yemen, and Venezuela. (8)_______________________ remains a fundamental human
right yet faces pervasive challenges, including underrepresentation in political leadership and
high rates of violence against women.
Finally, the critical issue of (9)____________________is highlighted, emphasizing that while
water covers a significant portion of the planet, only a small percentage is fresh and
(10)_____________________. Urgent action is needed at both global and regional levels to
address the challenges presented by water stress.
1. Pollution 2. Poses 3. Disparity 4. hygiene practices
5. Persistent 6. substance misuse 7. Conflicts 8. Gender equality
9. water scarcity 10. accessible

Transript
Among all the good in the world and all the progress being made in global issues. There's still
much more to be done with 2020 behind us. 2021 is already testing how we work together to
address critical challenges at home and across borders. Support for international cooperation
hangs in the balance at precisely the moment when robust collaboration is needed. Most from
promoting climate change and sustainability to averting conflicts within in between nations to
confronting the systematic forces that create unequal societies. In 2021 we must answer the
question. Here is the list of the top 10. Most important issue of today that the world is facing at
number one is climate change. Climate change is the defining issue of our time and we are at a
defining moment from shifting weather patterns that threaten food production to rising sea levels
that increase the risk of catastrophic flooding. The impacts of climate change are global in scope
and unprecedented in scale. The Intergovernmental Panel on climate change in his recent fifth
report said that from 1880 to 2012 the average global temperature increased by 0.85 degrees
celsius. The global temperatures are rising and are estimated to increase from 2.6 degrees celsius
to 4.8 degrees celsius by 2100. Oceans have warmed the amount of snow and ice have
diminished and the sea level has risen we are going to have more heatwave patterns and finally
we are going to have no ice in the arctic in 2021. We must decarbonize large swaths of the
economy shift financial flows protect ecosystems and adapt for the future. It is written in time
magazine that the real danger is when politicians and ceos are making it look like the real action
is happening when in fact almost nothing is being done At number two is pollution. Pollution can
take many forms: the air we breathe the water we drink, the soil we use to grow our food, the lit
up skies and even the increasing noise we hear every day can all contribute to health problems in
a lower quality of life with major disruptions and effects on wildlife and ecosystems.
Environmental pollution which is causing brave and irreparable damage to the natural world in
human society with about 40 of deaths worldwide being caused by water air and soil pollution by
the middle of the 20th century. An awareness of the need to protect air water and land
environments from pollution had developed among the general public. Major pieces of
environmental legislation such as the clean air act 1970 and clean water act of 1972 were passed
in many countries to control and mitigate environmental pollution. pollution is one of the most
difficult global issues to combat as everything comes under the umbrella of pollution At number
three is lack of primary education. Children are key to our success, yet many children across the
world do not have some of their most basic needs met. Unicef says every child has the right to
learn but it does not seem so 15 years ago the international community made a commitment to
provide universal primary school education for all children while considerable progress has been
made. Still now more than 72 million children throughout the globe that are of age to be in
primary education are not enrolled in school this can be attributed to inequality and
marginalizations as well as poverty. The problem is not limited to children not going to school
even when children are attending school. The quality of their education might be poor or
educational capacity and resources may be limited. In 2017 the un estimated that approximately
600 million children are not mastering basic mathematics and literacy while at school there are
many organizations that work directly with the issue of education and providing the proper tools
and resources to aid schools At number four is the issue of unemployment. What is
unemployment? unemployment is simple enough to understand. it is an economic condition in
which individuals seeking jobs remain unhired. Problems come after it when you are on hired
you are unable to earn when you are unable to earn you are unable to feed yourself and your
family so basic necessities remain unfille. Without the necessary education and skills for
employment, many people particularly 15 to 24 year olds struggle to find jobs and create a
proper living for themselves and their families. Main reasons of unemployment are population
growth. Slow economic growth seasonal occupation slow growth of the economic sector and fall
in the cottage industry, many people lost their job during the pandemic of Covid 19. The covid
19 pandemic will eventually go away the consequences for jobs and livelihoods across the globe
will be felt for many years to come At number five is the problem of food security. The number
of hungry people in the world has increased over the last few years. Now as many as one in nine
people in the world go hungry each day and suffer from nutritional deficiencies. As a result, the
problem is not that we aren't producing enough food but rather that people lack access to food.
Many people do not have enough money to purchase food and cannot grow their own. According
to the world food program, countries with the highest level of food insecurity also have the
highest outward migration of refugees. Approximately 11 percent of the world is
undernourished. About 39 of the adult population are overweight, so some of us are eating of
someone else's part At number six is health issues. Besides malnutrition, there are many other
issues affecting health on a global scale. For example, right now we're in the middle of the global
kova 19 pandemic, which has infected more than 38 million people worldwide and resulted in
over 1 million deaths in the past. The main topic of focus was communicable diseases like
hepatitis, cholera, malaria, tuberculosis,and hiv teaching good. Hygiene practices is beneficial
but the importance of good nutritional education and preventing personal harm is now needed to
be emphasized. Low-income countries lack emergency response resources, so it paves ways to
many diseases still after so many developments in medical fields. Many communicable diseases
are till responsible for 71 of deaths globally. At number seven is substance abuse and mental
healt. Dealing with substance abuse alcoholism or drug addiction is never easy. The united
nations reports that by the beginning of the 21st century an estimated 185 million people over the
age of 15 were consuming drugs. Globally, the drugs most commonly used are marijuana,
cocaine, Alcohol, amphetamine, stimulants, opiates and volatile solvents. Different classes of
people both poor and rich partake in substance abuse and it is a persistent issue throughout the
world. Certain illegal drugs can cause people with an addiction to experience one or more
symptoms of a mental health problem. mental health problems can sometimes lead to alcohol or
drug use as some people with a mental health problem may misuse these substances as a form of
self-medication so they are co-related At number eight there's conflicts between nations and
peace. The year 2020 marks the ninth anniversary of the war in Syria and the fifth in Yemen.
Venezuela may very well become the source of the world's largest and most underfunded refugee
crisis. The Kashmir crisis is still. There lethal violence and violent crime are on the rise,
affecting growing cities in an urbanizing world and the risk of interstate conflicts and
geopolitical strife has taken center stage. According to the 2020 Global Humanitarian Report,
one out of every 45 people on this planet will need help and protection next year. We have just
witnessed the first year of implementation of un reforms intended to better connect development
work with peacekeeping and security. With an emphasis on preventing conflict, let's hope it will
bring some change At number nine is the need of gender equality. inequality is at the heart of
many of the gravest issues facing the global community, including development. gender equality
is not only a fundamental human right but a necessary foundation for a peaceful prosperous and
sustainable world. discriminatory laws and social norms remain pervasive. women continue to be
underrepresented at all levels of political leadership and one in five women and girls between the
ages of 15 and 49. report experiencing physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner within
a 12-month period. women play a disproportionate role in the economy. women's unpaid care
work has increased significantly as a result of school closures and the increased needs of older
people At number 10 is the issue of water scarcity. water covers 70 of our planet and it is easy to
think that it will always be plentiful. However, freshwater the stuff we drink bathing irrigator
farm feels is incredibly rare. only three percent of the world's water is fresh water and two-thirds
of that is tucked away in frozen glaciers that are otherwise unavailable for us to use. some 1.1
billion people worldwide lack access to water. there is not a global water shortage as such but
individual countries and regions need to urgently tackle the critical problems presented by water
stress. water has to be treated as a scarce resource.